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Pre-Xbox Halo
Before Xbox, before the release of Halo: Combat Evolved, there was a game that was originally announced for the Mac and the PC as a 3rd-person shooter.[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RfXCY8UMYk Youtube: Bungie PAX Panel 2009] The game development time was from around 1998 to the release of Halo: Combat Evolved, originating as a Myth-style strategy game before turning into an over-the-shoulder cooperative netgame, and finally being retooled as an FPS for the Xbox. As the game evolved, several vehicles and weapons were cut and others had complete overhauls from the game. Below are some examples of lost or heavily modified gameplay items: RTS Gameplay In the beginning stages of the Halo series, it was first going to be an RTS (real-time strategy) game for the Mac. Some of the known elements of the early render include the: *'Heavy Trooper' - Infantry units and an early iteration of the SPARTAN-IIs. *'Toolbar' - Used to select, command, etc. *'Groundblast' - Unknown, most likely scenery. *'Zedsu' - A tank. *'Bunker' - A structure. *'Scoutcar A.K.A Hummer' - Early Version of the Warthog. *'Horseshoecrab tank' - A Tank. *'Alien Tank' - Tank of the opposing forces and an early iteration of the Wraith. *'Mowitser' - Probable howitzer cannon due to the name. *'Aliens' - The precursors to the Covenant in the final game. *'Starfighter' - An aerial vehicle. *'Propane or Gas Tanks' - Scenery. *'Ghost' - Early iteration of the Ghost RAV. *'Other Vehicles' - Vehicles similar in appearance to Halo Wars Wolverine, Rhino, and the cut Cougar. *'Elephant Precursor' - The precursor to the Elephant. Pre Halo Featured Vehicles Helicopter In the early renders of the Halo series, it was originally planned to have a helicopter within the game. Watercraft Known as "Dual-carrot craft" and Regular inflated raft, it was cut from the pre-production of the game. Stealth Tank A tank model found in the early versions of Halo. Transport Warthog and Mongoose Precursor Presented in the Evolution of Halo Part 1, they are the Warthog and ATV that lacks mounted armaments for defense. Both later were planned to be introduced to Halo 2 but dropped and finally added into Halo 3. Warthog Precursor The design precursor to Warthog LRV. Elephant Precursor A large vehicle with a crane designed to be more like a huge Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC). This vehicle was later introduced in Halo 3 ''as the Elephant as well as being included in ''Halo Wars. Spectre ]] The Spectre was originally designed to be in Halo Combat Evolved but was cut due to balance issues. It was included in Halo 2. The mounted Shade turret, however, made it into the final version of the production. Weapons Early renders of common guns found in most of the Halo games *The Assault Rifle, which had the ability to fire grenades, though the grenade launcher was swapped out for a flashlight in Halo's final build. *Flamethrower, which was included in PC edition of Halo: Combat Evolved and brought back for Halo 3 ''and Halo 3: ODST''. *Early version of the M6 series pistol. *Precursor to the SRS99. *An early iteration of the shotgun. *A Submachine Gun, which was later introduced in Halo 2, was to replace the Assault Rifle. *Anti-Aircraft Missile Launcher, which had a spiritual successor in the form of the missile pod. *Anti-Armor Rocket Launcher, which saw use in all Halo games, though heavy changes have occurred. Spear Gun A gun that was meant to shoot at underwater enemies. Gatling Gun The Gatling Gun was a weapon originally designed for the Pre-Xbox Halo: Combat Evolved. It seemed to be a hand-held version of the M41 LAAG. It would appear that the weapon has finally come to light in the form of Halo 3's AIE-486H. There have been several mods, using Halo Custom Edition, that has integrated the Gatling Gun into the game. Most if not all of these mods use the Warthog's turret model, separated from the base and the main vehicle. Machete A machete was proposed in the pre-production of Halo: Combat Evolved, but later disposed of. It is possible, although unsupported, that rather than being unlimited, it would have durability, and break after awhile. Covenant Sniper Rifle The 'Covenant Sniper Rifle' was an early weapon that was deleted from Halo: Combat Evolved. It was cut due to balance issues, but it vaguely resembles Halo 2's Beam Rifle and Halo: Reach's Focus Rifle, its spiritual successors. Excavator In the video, the Spartan is shown holding a Covenant weapon that was the design inspiration for the Mauler. Gravity Wrench Despite being considered the early version of the Gravity Hammer, the Gravity Wrench behaves in a manner similar to a mix between the Brute Shot and the Plasma Launcher. Weapon Storage In the early versions of Halo, the secondary weapon you obtained would be placed on your back. This feature was experienced in Halo 3. Other Pre-Halo Features Broken Halo In the early stages of the game, Halo was designed to be in broken form, only attached by strands of skeletal supports. It appears that this became the inspiration for Installation 08 in Halo 3, as it looks similar to the broken Installation 04. Blind Wolf A rideable creature found in the pre-production. Elites ]] An Elite model circa 1999. Notice the mandibles are more dinosaur-like, lacking the present four-pronged jaw in the actual Halo games. You can see what look like bones and ribs showing. Also, note the Elite on the right, in the background, is holding something that looks like an older Fuel Rod Gun model. Old HUD Display and a Halo that has fallen into disrepair, that design was then taken and incorporated into Halo 3]] The Heads-up display originally had a different design, incorporating the health and shield meters into a shape reminiscent of the Marathon logo, with an actual mini-map (as opposed to the motion detector) in the circle in the middle. Gallery File:Cgw Cover.jpg|Image sent to CGW magazine 1999 File:Cgw oct coverscan.jpg|Actual Cover of CGW magazine 1999 File:Halo_072199.jpg|The 1st ever official Halo screen 1999 File:Halo chief 1099.jpg|A Spartan with the Gatling Gun. File:Early Render Of Engineers.jpg|Early Render Of Engineers and Master Chief with an aerial Engineer File:Pre_Halo_MC_with_MA5.jpg|MA5B Assault Rifle with a grenade launcher attached File:Pre_Halo_Needler.jpg|The original Needler File:Speargun.jpg|Spear Gun File:Launcher2.jpg|Surface to Air Missile Launcher File:Shotgun2.jpg|The original Shotgun File:Pre_Halo_Machette.jpg|Pre Halo Machete File:Pre_Halo_Minigun.jpg|Pre Halo Minigun Sources External links *[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Tqrfy4SR7I&feature=player_embedded Youtube: Evolution Of HALO [Beta Pre-XBOX]'' 1999 version & 2000 Demo''] *[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN9vO_gRzoI&feature=player_embedded Youtube: Evolution Of HALO [Beta Pre-XBOX]'' RTS & 3rd Person version''] Category:Deleted Material